Queen Elizabeth II has appointed the Duchess of Cornwall to the highest female rank in the Royal Victorian Order, Buckingham Palace said Monday.

The announcement that Camilla has been made a Dame Grand Cross comes on the day of her seventh wedding anniversary with Prince Charles, the queen’s son. Awards under the Royal Victorian Order, which was founded in 1896 by Queen Victoria, are given by the queen to people who have served her or the monarchy in a personal way. They are bestowed independently of the prime minister’s office.

Once vilified as a the old flame who poisoned Charles’ first marriage to Princess Diana, Camilla has become an integral member of the royal family since she married the prince on April 9, 2005 — eight years after Diana’s death.

Since the couple’s civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor, the British public has warmed to Camilla and the 64-year-old has carried out hundreds of royal engagements and taken on a wide range of patronages. She also has traveled extensively with the prince on official visits, including a recent tour of Scandinavia with stops in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo.

Lately, Camilla was seen stepping out with the queen and the former Kate Middleton — who married Prince William — for an appearance in London. Buckingham Palace said Camilla will be invested with the insignia of her rank at a later date.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William are reportedly expecting their first child. This news further escalated with Kate’s frequent stomach rubs and refusal to eat peanut paste. The future queen is “around six weeks pregnant,” In Touch magazine “confirmed” on Thursday.

Queen Elizabeth II has been pressuring the royal couple to have a child immediately. At the start of their marriage, “it’s been made clear to William and Kate that having children should be their number-one priority,” the magazine’s source at the Buckingham Palace said. “Queen Elizabeth II, in particular, has been dropping so many hints about wanting a great-grandchild — an heir to the throne — that Kate feared she wouldn’t be able to face her without baby news.”

The magazine’s source also explained that the royal couple is already considering the preferred sex of the child, plans for a nursery, and even name choices. They want their child to be given traditional names, such as Edward, Philip, Michael, Alice, and Rose. Prince William, however, is “secretly” hoping for a daughter, and the 29-year-old Duchess agrees with him. [Read more…]